Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.

“An extravagant feast of a book—spicy and bloody, dizzyingly magical, and still, somehow, utterly believable.”
—Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer

“The City of Brass is the best adult fantasy I’ve read since The Name of the Wind. It’s stunning and complex and consuming and fantastic.”
—Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes

“An opulent masterpiece...The City of Brass is a must-read.”
—Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen

Map Key

1.

Cairo:Hailing from every human land that has had the misfortune to be visited by a djinn not particularly diligent in obeying Suleiman's law, the shafit are people of mixed djinn and human blood. Considered a risk to both worlds, the shafit are stolen away from their human homes if discovered and brought back to Daevabad to live out their lives…a fate that a certain con artist is none too keen to embrace.

2.

Am Gezira:Surrounded by water and caught behind the thick band of humanity in the Fertile Crescent, the djinn of Am Gezira awoke from Suleiman’s Curse to a far different world than their fire-blooded cousins. Retreating to the depths of the Empty Quarter, to the dying cities of the Nabataeans and to the forbidding mountains of southern Arabia, the Geziri eventually learned to share the hardships of the land with their human neighbors, becoming fierce protectors of the shafit in the process. From this country of wandering poets and zulfiqar-wielding warriors, came Zaydi al Qahtani, the rebel-turned-king who would seize Daevabad and Suleiman’s Seal from the Nahid family in a war that remade the magical world.

3.

Ta Ntry:Nestled between the rushing headwaters of the Nile River and the salty coast of Bet il Tiamat, lies Ta Ntry, the fabled homeland of the mighty Ayaanle tribe. Rich in gold and salt--and far enough from Daevabad that its deadly politics are more game than risk, the Ayaanle are a people to envy. But behind their gleaming coral mansions and sophisticated salons lurks a history they’ve begun to forget...one that binds them in blood to their Geziri neighbors.

4.

Daevastana:Stretching from the Sea of Pearls across the plains of Persia and the mountains of gold-rich Bactria is mighty Daevastana—and just past its Gozan River, lies Daevabad, the hidden city of brass. The ancient seat of the Nahid Council—the famed family of healers who once ruled the magical world—Daevastana is a coveted land, its civilization drawn from the ancient cities of Ur and Susa and the nomadic horsemen of the Saka. A proud people, the Daevas claimed the original name of the djinn race as their own… a slight that the other tribes never forget.

5.

Qart Sahar:Sprawling from the shores of the Maghreb across the vast depths of the Sahara Desert is Qart Sahar; a land of fables and adventure even to the djinn. An enterprising people not particularly enamored of being ruled by foreigners, the Sahrayn know the mysteries of their country better than any—the still lush rivers that flow in caves deep below the sand dunes and the ancient citadels of human civilizations lost to time and touched by forgotten magic. Skilled sailors, the Sahrayn travel upon ships of conjured smoke and sewn cord over sand and sea alike.

6.

Agnivansha:Stretching from the brick bones of old Harappa through the rich plains of the Deccan and misty marshes of the Sundarbans lies Agnivansha. Blessedly lush in every resource that could be dreamed—and separated from their far more volatile neighbors by wide rivers and soaring mountains—Agnivansha is a peaceful land famed for its artisans and jewels…and its savvy in staying out of Daevabad’s tumultuous politics.

7.

Tukharistan:East of Daevabad, twisting through the peaks of Karakorum Mountains and the vast sands of the Gobi is Tukharistan. Trade is its lifeblood and in the ruins of forgotten Silk Road kingdoms, the Tukharistanis make their homes; travelling unseen in caravans of smoke and silk along corridors marked by humans millennia ago, carrying with them things of myth: golden apples that cure any disease, jade keys that open worlds unseen, and perfumes that smell of Paradise.

S.A. CHAKRABORTY is a speculative fiction writer from New York City.The City of Brass is her first novel.

Learn more about the author and the history that inspired the world at her website

S.A. CHAKRABORTY is a speculative fiction writer from New York City.The City of Brass is her first novel.

Learn more about the author and the history that inspired the world at her website